Chapter 664 Sleight of Hand
After careful consideration, the officials realized that the area was already surrounded and there was no way anyone could escape. They gave the patrons a quarter of an hour to prepare, after which they would search the area again, which would be considered a favor.
"In that case, thank you for your understanding, officer."
The male madam, having received accurate information, hurriedly returned to inform him.
"What?"
Wei Lan was shocked; this meant that the group had to wait at Wenjun Tower and could not leave.
If word got out, she wouldn't know how to explain it to her parents when she got home. If the city guards searched her place, the news would definitely get out.
"How could Miss Qin have hidden in Wenjun Tower? Who could be so cunning!"
Bai Youran had already realized that the person behind this was targeting them. Her sister-in-law, Li Ruxue, would never be so foolish as to do this; it must have been done by the Wei family's mortal enemy.
Is now the time to talk about this?
Wei Lan turned her head and stared at Bai Youran, saying, "Now we need to distinguish between primary and secondary matters; things have already gotten out of control."
She racked her brains but couldn't come up with a solution. Therefore, the other party was using the pretext of searching for Qin Nanyan, which was a matter of great importance and not something Wei Lan could stop.
Having just been kicked out of the Prince of Luo's room, the three of them had nowhere to go and hadn't even chosen a private room yet.
Bai Dingfeng was also at a loss and said he would follow Wei Lan's arrangements.
While Wei Lan and the Bai siblings were still discussing their hidden strategy in the private room of the Prince of Luo, Xu Da was extremely irritable.
"Which bastard did this?!"
Why did they have to come at the exact time—just when he was at Wenjun Tower—that they were deliberately causing trouble for him.
He's at Wenjun Tower tonight, and his mother will find out in a few hours. He's truly innocent.
He can't worry about himself right now. Qin Nanyan and her servant are hiding. If they get caught, it will be even more troublesome if Lin Yuesha gets involved.
"You say scholars ruin the country, but at this point, what can you do besides get angry?"
Xiao Qi remained as steady as Mount Tai, even having the mood to drink tea. This tea was bought by his younger sister at a cost of fifty taels of silver, and he had to finish it all so as not to waste it.
"Do you have a solution?"
Xu Da didn't believe it, and when his men rushed in to search, it was basically a dead end.
Wenjun Tower was completely surrounded; to hide someone there, one would have to make that person disappear.
"It's impossible for it to disappear, but can't you use some kind of illusion?"
Xiao Qi advised Xu Da that he should apply what he had read in military books flexibly and freely.
Given the right timing, location, and people, everything can be concealed flawlessly.
"you mean……"
Xu Da suddenly realized what was happening. He stood up and headed straight for the private room where Lin Yuesha was.
"Take this with you."
After Xiao Qi finished speaking, he wrapped a few pastries on the table in a handkerchief and gave them to Xu Da.
"Forget about the pastries. The cakes from Wenjunlou are too hard and unpalatable. I don't know how long they've been sitting there."
Xu Da shook his head. With Lin Yuesha's culinary skills, she would definitely not want to eat this inedible stuff.
"It's not for her to eat, it's for her to stand on."
Xiao Qi's eyes flashed with a smile. Her little sister was too short. If she wanted to impersonate a city guard, she would need to find something to make her taller. However, the situation was urgent, and she couldn't find anything suitable at the moment.
Xu Da was embarrassed and cursed the old fox in his heart. After taking it, he felt it wasn't enough, so he quietly put in a few more pieces.
As he passed by outside, he saw Wei Lan and the other two running around like headless flies.
"Miss Wei, I have to warn you, the private rooms are all full right now, so you'd better not even think about getting in. Even if you did get in, you wouldn't be able to hide your presence."
Because of the need to register and verify everyone's identity and address when apprehending high-ranking criminals, it was impossible to hide them.
"Furthermore, you know what kind of people are inside. What if you just barge in without thinking and see something you shouldn't? What do you say then..."
Xu Da was in a bad mood, so he sought solace in Wei Lan.
"Get out, get out now!"
Wei Lan screamed. She didn't want to look at the pale, white bodies of these lewd men; she'd get a sty!
"After this incident, besides myself, do you see any family that wouldn't care about their reputation and would still dare to marry you..."
Xu Da glanced at Bai Dingfeng and offered Wei Lan a new idea, "That means he's your older brother Bai."
After saying that, he laughed and left.
Wei Lan was so angry that she forgot to ask about Xu Da's whereabouts.
Upstairs, Lin Yuesha was still trying to come up with a solution when there was a knock on the door.
"Cousin, it's me."
Lin Yuesha opened the door a crack, and Xu Da nimbly slipped inside.
"There are so many people downstairs, it's a bit difficult to manage."
Lin Yuesha had originally come up with a plan, but she discovered that the room above hers was where Luo Wang was.
The search proceeds from bottom to top. When checking a room, people are hoisted up through the window, and then lowered down after the search is complete.
This way, we can avoid being searched, but there are so many people downstairs. If someone looks up, we'll be exposed immediately.
Lin Yuesha scratched her head, wanting to ask Xu Da for a solution.
"Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
Xu Da said to the other three people in the room, "When you receive my command, be quick and efficient."
Xu Da had barely finished speaking when the officers and soldiers searching the floor arrived.
Each private room had three people, and the search was conducted one by one. Lin Yuesha's method was useless.
"Deputy Commander Xu."
The three officers entered the room. Xu Da nodded, and then knocked them unconscious with a series of karate chopes.
"What are you all standing there for? Quickly strip them of their clothes and put them on!"
They switched the items, then stripped the three naked and threw them onto the bed, creating the illusion that they were addicted to it.
"I need to change my shoes too, otherwise people will notice."
The three men were fairly clean, but they all had one thing in common: smelly feet.
"This taste."
Qin Nanyan and Yu Li covered their noses, barely able to breathe.
Lin Yuesha's face stiffened as she asked, "Why do I have to wear it too?"
"Three people came in, and three people will have to leave. Do you think you can wake one of them up?"
So Lin Yuesha also had to sneak in to make up the numbers, it's that simple.
Lin Yuesha was on the verge of tears. She looked for the clothes of the shortest person among them, but they were still a bit too big for her.
"It won't bother you, you can't tell, but you wear shoes like you're rowing a boat, so you should put this under your shoes."
The cakes and pastries they brought came in handy; they were all used to pad Lin Yuesha's shoes, making it much easier for her to walk.
"So, have you found anything?"
As soon as Lin Yuesha stepped out, someone asked her a question.
"Lord Xu is inside, and there is also..."
Lin Yuesha drew out her words, but it's hard to say exactly what she meant; you can use your imagination.
Because they weren't drawn from the same team and didn't know each other, Lin Yuesha and Qin Nanyan, mistress and servant, quickly slipped through the net and joined the search team.
"Who are the three of you here?"
The officials didn't recognize Wei Lan and were just wandering around the corridor without even asking for a private room. Could he be a petty thief?
Previously, the people of Wenjunlou reported to the authorities that their patrons frequently lost their valuables, presumably because some petty thieves were posing as patrons and infiltrating the establishment to commit crimes.
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